Decodable books are designed to help beginning readers practice the phonics skills they are taught by providing text that is specifically designed to include words based on these phonics skills. Some benefits of decodable books include: Decodable books provide targeted practice to improve reading accuracy. These books allow readers to practice and reinforce the specific phonics skills and strategies they have learned. Building reading accuracy leads to improved reading fluency. Decodable texts help build reading fluency. When readers can decode words accurately, then with practice, they will ..read more

During my research on dyslexia as a mom on a quest, I came across a common thread of alarming signs to be on the lookout for catching dyslexia early. To our surprise, our almost 7-year-old had none of the early signs for the younger group, yet hit a brick wall in first grade when he turned 7. It was as if all the symptoms appeared in a few months period. If you are in search of a quick checklist: For younger children ages 3-7: –          Trouble with nursery rhymes –          Do not recognize rhyming patt ..read more

Dyslexia, often described as a hidden reading disability, causes difficulty in learning to read or interpret words, letters, and other symbols. Dyslexia denies many children the opportunity to discover the joys of reading. As their peers’ ability to read grows, their efforts end up with frustration, pain and tears. Many parents cannot even imagine their children could be reading for fun one day. Although many dyslexics learn to cope with the reading struggles throughout their educational life, the biggest lingering impact is the life-long stains on the self-confidence that affects these indivi ..read more

I will never forget the day I realized my son had dyslexia. DYSLEXIA. The word felt heavy on my shoulders and my heart. In a nutshell, I knew it was something to do with difficulty in reading and writing. Yet, I did not understand what it really meant. And that was terrifying.  Amazingly, studies show that about 20% of people are dyslexic in the US. This means one in every 5 children is dyslexic. So I knew I was not alone.  The official definition of dyslexia is a specific learning disability that is characterized by difficulties with accurate and/or fluent word recognition and by po ..read more

Practice makes perfect. Better said, practice makes progress. Learning a new skill requires repetition to automate it. Similarly, every beginner reader needs to practice reading to improve fluency. Add dyslexia to the equation, this becomes even more critical.  Definition of reading fluency is the ability to read text accurately, quickly and with expression and understanding. First, a reader learns to read a word accurately and then, with practice, fluently. With fluency skill, comes better comprehension.  Understanding fluency and how the brain works is critical to build a successfu ..read more

The longest activity in a typical day is sleeping. High quality and right quantity of sleep at the right time are more critical than most of us realize.   The negative effects of lack of sleep on cognitive skills and behavior are well documented. Lack of sleep reduces blood flow to the brain resulting in loss of attention, focus, physical and mental health.  The additional benefits of sleep, however, is not discussed as much. Healthy sleep habits promote focus, alertness and memory. But it is deeper than that. The brain learns new information while we are awake. What happens in the b ..read more

As parents of a dyslexic child, we see how hard our children work every single day. They stay strong at school to the best of their abilities and often times work so much harder than the rest of their peers even if they don’t get the results. They continue day after day without giving up even if they want to. As parents of a dyslexic child, we are grateful and relieved when our child’s teachers recognize and praise our child’s efforts. We remember those educators forever who measure success beyond test results. They become the angels who bring that best self of our child.   As parents of ..read more

Dyslexia is often called a hidden (dis)ability. Many, including me, challenge the word “disability.” But that discussion is for another day. The focus in this piece is the word “hidden.”  Dyslexia can be invisible to those not sure what dyslexia symptoms to look for. As parents, we often trust the teachers and doctors to catch these symptoms and educate us to what needs to be done to help our children. From one parent of a dyslexic child to another, I recommend the below five mistakes to avoid if your child is dyslexic and not officially diagnosed yet.  1. Do not trust your inst ..read more

The frustration of a dyslexic child often revolves around his inability to meet outside expectations. Adults in his life see a bright, enthusiastic child who is not learning to read and write. Repeatedly, the dyslexic child hears, “He’s such a bright student; if only he tried a bit harder.” As parents, we want our children to succeed and become the best person they can be. We want them to be successful at school, enter great colleges and become thriving adults. With the best intentions at heart, we might sometimes push too hard and not realize the pain of failing to meet parents’ expectations ..read more

Pamela Guest is the Founder and Chief Editor at IEP Magazine. More importantly, she is one of us, a parent of a dyslexic. She struggled throughout her son’s education, just like us. She had to learn the ins and outs of the system on her own with little to no support, just like us. As my path crossed hers on our journey to help others with the steep dyslexia hike, our common goals brought us together. Education is her passion and this is my interview with her.   Q.     What do you think is the most pressing issue related to special education in schools today? A. &n ..read more